CJR – HB5 – Restoring Judicial Discretion for Concurrent Sentences

House Bill 5, sponsored by Rep. Longhurst and Sen. Poore, would reform concurrent and consecutive sentencing by providing sentencing judges with the discretion to sentence prison time concurrently when appropriate. It would mandate consecutive sentences when there are multiple victims for the most serious crimes and require consecutive sentences for assault in a detention facility.

This bill is meant to limit the practice of prosecutor stacking of charges, which, often times require consecutive sentencing. So, for example, you may charged with burglary and home invasion, which is essentially the same crime, and then sentence to 5 years for each. Consecutive sentencing means that the defendant would have to serve 10 years. Concurrent sentencing means that the defendant serves 5 years, because the sentences for both crimes are served at the same time.

This bill was considered in the Judiciary committee yesterday and was released. So it is ready for a vote on the House floor. This bill is part of the Criminal Justice Reform package.

WHERE IS THE BILL?  On the House floor ready for a vote as of 5/15/19

DEMOCRATIC SPONSORS – Longhurst, Poore, Bolden, Brady, Dorsey Walker, Kowalko, Hansen, Lockman, McDowell, Paradee, Sokola, Townsend, Baumbach, Cooke, Heffernan, K.Johnson, Lynn, Minor-Brown, Osienski

REPUBLICAN SPONSORS – None

YES VOTES – 

NO VOTES –